1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of protective masks. More particularly, the present invention relates to the field of oral condom masks with detachable fasteners.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The inventor and applicant of the present invention is also the patentee of U.S. Pat. No. 5,320,112 issued on Jun. 14, 1994 (hereafter xe2x80x9cthe ""112 Patentxe2x80x9d) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,409,016 issued on Apr. 25, 1995 (hereafter xe2x80x9cthe ""016 Patentxe2x80x9d). The inventor is aware of the prior art references which were disclosed in the ""112 and ""016 Patents. While the patentee""s devices disclosed in the ""112 and ""016 Patents function adequately, the patentee has continuously sought to further improve her detachable fasteners used in conjunction with an oral condom mask.
Both the ""112 and ""016 Patents disclose an oral condom mask which protects the user from contracting sexually transmitted diseases while engaging in sexual activities. The oral condom mask provides protection to the facial area of a user from undesirable exposure to infection carrying microorganisms. The oral condom mask has conformed portions for the lips so that the user""s lips can be easily moved in a natural way and a protruding portion for the tongue so that the user""s tongue can be easily moved in a natural way and not be hindered by the mask.
In the ""112 Patent, the oral condom mask is shaped like an oval with two lateral leg portions which are respectively attached to two unique opposite ear attachments. In the ""016 Patent, the oral condom mask is a unitary piece integrally formed with the ear attachments.
There is always a need to improve the ear attachments for protective masks, so that a user engaging in sexual activities will be protected from communicable diseases. Therefore, it is highly desirable to have a very efficient and also very effective design and construction of a detachable adjustable fastener to be used with an oral condom mask, to thereby facilitate the effective use of the mask. It is desirable to provide a detachable adjustable fastener with the capability of rapidly securing the ends of the oral condom mask, which can also be quickly released when required. It is also desirable to provide a detachable adjustable fastener that is flexible enough to allow repositioning the ear portion of the detachable fastener for a particular user to provide optimum use of the condom mask in a much more efficient way.
The present invention is an apparatus for protecting the user from contracting sexually transmitted diseases while engaging in sexual activities. The apparatus includes an oral condom mask and two opposite detachable adjustable fasteners. The detachable adjustable fasteners facilitate the fastening and releasing of the lateral portions of the oral condom mask.
It is an object of the present invention to provide detachable adjustable fasteners which can be used in conjunction with an oral condom mask to facilitate the fastening and releasing of the oral condom mask.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide detachable adjustable fasteners which include a springy middle section between a front hook portion and a rear ear engagement portion for adjusting the length of the fastener so that any particular user can use the detachable adjustable fasteners in a much more efficient way. The special feature of the springy middle section makes it particularly useful when material used for the membrane is made of plastic materials or a derivative thereof. Plastic materials do not provide the elasticity to permit adjustable lengths, whereas this special feature will provide adjustable lengths for any particular user.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide detachable adjustable fasteners including a cylindrical locking sleeve which is slidable on the fastener to secure the lateral end of the oral condom mask.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide detachable adjustable fasteners which are used in conjunction with an oral condom mask, so that the tension on the oral condom mask against the user""s face can easily be adjusted.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide detachable adjustable fasteners which are efficient and easy to use with an oral condom mask and which are disposable after use so that when in use, the detachable adjustable fasteners can be easily and removably clamped to the oral condom mask and then the fasteners can be reused with another oral condom mask.
Further novel features and other objects of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, discussion and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the drawings.